Target conveying device



Feb. 6, 1962 E. K. SPIETH TARGET CONVEYING DEVICE Filed Aug. 17, 1959 INVENTOR ERNST KARL SPIETH ATTORNEY 3,020,047 Patented Feb. 6, 1962 nice 3,020,047 TARGET CONVEYING DEVICE Ernst Karl Spieth, Schanbacherstr. 29, Esslingen- Hegensberg, Germany Filed Aug. 17, 1959, Ser. No. 834,281 2 Claims. (Cl. 273105.6)

The present invention relates to a target conveying device in general and to such device in particular, in which the carriage of the target moves, for instance, along tracks formed by two carrying cords and is pulled by a pulling cord by means of an electric motor, said pulling cord running over rollers disposed at the shooting stand and at the target stand, and one of said roller-s being a driving roller. One or two immovable circuit breakers are disposed in the motor circuit and are responsive to abutment controls, the latter being obtained by oblique running faces of the pulling cord.

A device is known wherein the electric motor is started manually and is switched off at the end of the running stroke by switch fingers controlled by abutments.

It is further known to inject control pulses by having the carriage run over conducting and nonconducting portions of the tracks, respectively. If the carriage runs on carrying cords, the latter must be equipped with connections from conducting to non-conducting portions thereof.

Another device has also been proposed, in which switching cartridges for cut-out are provided on the pulling cord, which cartridges are bendable and wherein the rollers for the cord support the switching cartridges when the latter abut the abutment switches for the circuit.

Since the targets move fast and are to be stopped suddenly at the end of the stroke, the problem arises in connection with the construction of the conveying devices to reduce particularly the wear of those parts which cause the opening of the circuit and the braking of the carriages.

It is, therefore, one object of the present invention to provide a target conveying device, in which the opening of the circuit of the electric motor and, if necessary, the start of the braking effect is brought about in such a manner that the circuit opener is operated by the pulling cord itself which lifts or lowers the carriage, or moves the latter laterally and, in response to the length of the moving stroke, changes the oblique run on face. By this arrangement, the advantage is brought about that the device does not need particular construction elements which consist of non-metallic, elastic insulating material and the ends of which are subjected to shearing or squeezing during the run of the carriage thereover. In addition, the advantage is also achievedthat no parts of the fast moving carriage abut the control member of the circuit opener, rather the pulling cord itself, which moves slowly, provides the switching pulse.

With this and other objects in view, which will become apparent in the following detailed description, the present invention will be clearly understood in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of the present device;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of an adjustment device for the circuit opener; and

FIG. 3 is an essential part of the circuit diagram indicating the motor circuit with the abutment switches.

Referring now to the drawing, a running-track is formed by two carrying cords 1 on which a carriage moves in the direction of the arrow -A to the shooting stand S or in the direction of the arrow B to the target stand Z. The carriage comprises a frame 3, carrying the wheels 4 and the guide rollers 5, as well as the target 6. The ends of the pulling cord 7 are secured to the frame 3,

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and the pulling cord 7 is guided over the driving roller 8 operatively connected with the electro-motor 9 and over the guiding roller 10. The brake, for instance a shoe-brake, which is co-ordinated to the driving roller 8, is not shown. The circuit openers 10, 11, 12 and 13 are immovably mounted, the spring biased operating members of which operate the switch. At the ends of the pulling cord 7 rests the ends of swinging levers l6 and 17 which may turn upon the bolts 14 and 15 and which may swing by means "of the rollers 18 and 19, resting on the pulling cable 7. The remote control elements are disposed in the table 2, which may be a concrete block with a wood covering, on which also the carrying cords are mounted, which carrying cords serve as conductors for the circuit openers.

If the target 6 is moved in the direction of the arrow A and approaches the shooting stand S, the end of the pulling cord 7 disposed adjacent the shooting stand lifts the swinging lever 16 in a direction opposite to that of the arrow D. The swinging lever 16 pushes the operating member 11 of the circuit opener 10 in upward direction, overcoming the pressure of the spring (not shown) disposed therein, and opens the circuit for the electric motor and at the same time causes a braking of the driving roller "8, so that the target 6 arrives fast at a standstill.

It now the operator operates a reversal switch 28, the

circuit is closed again, whereupon the target moves in the direction of the arrow B. If the target 6 approaches the target stand, then the other end of the pulling cord 7 raises the swinging lever 17 in the direction of the arrow C, so that the operating member 13 of the circuit opener 12 opens again the circuit and brings into operation the braking device. The movement of the target 6 back to the shooting stand S is performed by manual operation of a pushbutton reversal switch.

Referring now to FIG. 1, screw bolts 20 are shown which are movable in the longitudinal slots 21 of a carrier 23, which bolts 20 project also through a holder 22, which in turn carries the circuit openers 10' and 12, respectively. It is quite apparent that upon loosening the nuts on the screw bolts20, a horizontal adjustment of the circuit openers 10' and 12 may easily be performed, either in the direction of the arrow A, or in the direction of the arrow B. The carrying cords 1 may serve as conductors for the electric current for the circuit breakers by the use of insulating members disposed at the ends.

Referring now to FIG. 2, which discloses another embodiment of the present invention, the adjustment is brought about by means of an eccentric or cam 24 arranged on the swinging lever 16' for the purpose to adjust the position of the operating member 11' relative to the pulling cord 7, so that, thereby, an exact adjustment of the braking and of the final braking run of the target may be achieved and the desirable standstill of the target at the predetermined point is easily brought about. The eccentric or cam 24 may be adjusted relative to the swinging lever 16' by means of the screw bolt 25 overcoming the force of the helical spring 26.

It now the target 6 moves in the direction of the arrow A and approaches the shooting stand S, then the end of the pulling cord 7 adjacent the shooting stand starts a lifting movement simultaneously lifting one end of the swinging lever 16 in the direction of the arrow B. The eccentric 24 pushes the circuit opener 11' against the force of a spring (not shown) disposed therein in downward direction and opens the circuit of the electro-motor 9' and also releases the braking device for the driving roller 8', so that the target 6 may be brought to a standstill very fast.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a circuit diagram indicating 3 the connections is disclosed. It shows the electromotor 9, the circuit opener 10', 11, 12 and 13, the swinging levers 16 and 17, and the switch 28, which is biased by means of the spring 29. The switch 28 will be operated to start the target. The housings 10' and 12 are of insulating material.

While I have disclosed two embodiments of the present invention, it is to be understood that these embodiments are given by example only and not in a limiting sense, the scope of the present invention being determined by the objects and the claims.

I claim:

1. In a target conveying device including a target stand and a shooting stand disposed oppositely each other, a carriage having wheels and guide rollers below and opposite said wheels, a target carried by said carriage, two carrying cords supporting said carriage by means of said wheels of the latter during its movement on said cords, said two carrying cords being disposed between said target stand and said shooting stand, a pulling cable secured to both ends of said carriage and forming an upper run and a lower run, a roller mounted at said target stand and at said shooting stand, respectively, said rollers being disposed at a level below that of said carrying cords, said pulling cable running over said rollers and forms inclined portions from said rollers towards said carriage, caused by the difference of the height levels of said carrying cords and of said rollers, an electric motor driving one of said rollers, abutment switches disposed in the electric circuit of said electric motor, two swinging levers disposed in front of said target stand and of said shooting stand, respectively, one end of one of said swinging levers being pivotally secured to said target stand and one end of the other of said swinging levers being pivotally secured to said shooting stand, the other end of said swinging levers resting on the top run of said pulling cable, the end of said swinging levers resting on the upper run of said pulling cable being lifted toward engagement with said abutment switch during movement of said carriage toward said respective stands, in order to open said abutment switch and to stop the movement of said carriage, as said other end of said swinging levers is raised during increase of inclination of said inclined portions of said pulling cable.

2. The target conveying device, as set forth in claim 1, which includes means for adjustment of said abutment switches in the direction of travel of said carriage.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,787,088 Gridley Apr. 2, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 276,179 Switzerland June 30, 1951 1,003,633 Germany Feb. 28, 1957 

